Rule 63: A Star Wars Alternate Universe Story
by DarthPlagueis2122
Summary: Shamelessly inspired by the artwork of Shorelle on Deviantart (if you haven't already, see her artwork "rule 63 prequel trilogy"; "rule 63 AU - Attack of the Clones"; and "king and lionheart"). This story is an AU telling of Star Wars where the roles are reversed and Jedi Knight Padmé Amidala Naberrie has fallen in love with Senator Anakin Skywalker of Naboo...Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**If you have never seen the artwork of Shorelle on Deviantart (particularly her prequel series on Rule 63) then you are missing out on a lot. I am in between writing, and I have been busy. But I saw her frames for Episode II and the prequels as a whole and I just got absolutely inspired by her. Before I get to my _Return of the Jedi AU_...I think I'll deviate for a moment and work on a _Rule 63: AU_. For those who don't know, Rule 63 is simply changing the gender of a familiar character. I really like this story, and I've started much earlier here than in some of my other AU's. Please read, review, critique, and...as always...enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Skywalker…what are you doing here?" She shouted out to him, trying to sound angry as the blaster fire cascaded around them both.

"Well," he said as he aimed his blaster to cover her from more Destroyer Droids. "I was thinking of saving your life for once." Jedi Knight Padmé Amidala Naberrie smiled at him as she slashed another droid down. The factory was beginning to overflow with them. They found themselves surrounded. Their backs were to the wall now.

"Get behind me…you are more important than I am!" Padmé shouted at him. He moved closer to her which sent a shiver up her back. Finally, the blaster fire stopped.

"Surrender now Jedi scum!" It was Jango Fett. "You are hopelessly outnumbered." She extinguished her blade and dropped it on the floor. Anakin Skywalker followed suit as well with his blaster.

* * *

They were tied up with chains and put on a chariot to be led to an arena and what appeared to be certain death.

"Anakin…I'm the one who got us into this mess." She shuts her eyes. "Don't be afraid. They can't do much more to us." He straightened up like a ramrod.

"I'm not afraid." He paused, measuring his words. "I'm not afraid of dying." Padmé s sandy blonde hair blew in her face as a slightly breeze picked up. She listened intently to the Nubian Senator's words. "I was wrong." Her eyes widened.

"About what?" He leaned closer to her as he whispered.

"The truth is I've been dying a little each day since you came back into my life. I think about you all the time." He sighed. "I love you." She looked away.

"You can't love me Anakin…we said this couldn't work…"

"I know just…" He closed his eyes and kissed her lips. She kissed him back too. They didn't need words for they had spoken them all before.

* * *

They were fighting beasts now. "Glad you got my message, Padmé." Obi-Wan Kenobi dodged away as another ferocious beast came at him.

"Better later than never Master!" Anakin slammed the Acklay hard with a pike sending it spiraling backward.

"Well he seems to be all right, why did you bring him here?"

"He wouldn't give me much of a choice." Kenobi smiled.

"I bet he wouldn't." They were surrounded again. Dooku stared menacingly at them from his balcony perched above the entire scene. "Droids…" Padmé stood closed to Anakin whose hand brushed against hers. Kenobi noticed, but didn't let it on. They had far more pressing matters to attend to now.

Suddenly, the sound of lightsabers and gunships rocked the arena they were in. Yoda and the hundreds of Jedi descended upon the place taking down Geonosians and Droids alike with quick and precise attacks. A gunship came near them, and the three stunned heroes jumped in as it quickly took off dispatching more droids in its wake.

* * *

The two Jedi made it to a darkly lit hangar bay. Anakin ran behind them, armed with two blasters and ready for whatever was to greet them on the other side. They found Count Dooku alone. He was trying desperately to make his escape.

"Master Kenobi…while it's always a pleasure to see you…and your esteemed Padawan…I'm afraid that I'm in a bit of a rush."

"I'm sure you are Dooku," said Kenobi. Dooku smiled and backed away from his transport.

"Your powers are no match for me Jedi. Neither one of you can protect yourselves," he paused as he saw Senator Skywalker behind them. "Nor can you protect your precious Senator." He quickly sent a bolt of lightning directly at Anakin. Padmé ignited her blade and lunged forward, taking the blunt of the strike in her chest and absorbing the rest in her blade. She leaned against Anakin for support. He helped her up, as Obi-Wan stared down Dookue.

"That was unwise of you Dooku." The Dark Lord smiled evilly as he ignited his curved red blade.

"Show me how unwise it was Kenobi!" Obi-Wan ignited his blade and blocked the incoming strike that rained down upon him hard. They parried and blocked as they circled around the room, neither warrior gaining the upper hand. Padmé got her bearings and grabbed the hilt of her blade. Anakin Skywalker held her back for a moment.

"You don't have to do this Padmé." Their eyes met.

"It's my duty…" She kissed his cheek softly and whispered in his ear. "Find Yoda and the rest of the reinforcements."

"I won't leave you."

"He'll use you against me if you stay…do what I say…I'll be fine." She smiled weakly at him as he hesitated and ran out to call for help. She steeled herself as she ignited her blade. With a mighty grunt she joined the fray and signed Dooku's in the back slightly.

"Ah…another interloper…" Dooku said mockingly.

"We work as one," Kenobi muttered. Padmé nodded her head. She feinted a strike and Kenobi lunged. Dooku flipped back.

"Impressive, young Naberrie. But you hold your emotions in check far too much."

"Don't listen to him," said Kenobi. He ran at him and began striking in rapid succession but that's exactly what Dooku wanted. He lured him closer and closer to the docked ship, and then began pressing him toward the vessel. He quickly struck two light blows causing Kenobi to scream out in pain as he collapsed to the floor in a heap. Padmé ran after them and lunged again blocking a nearly fatal strike against her master.

"Brave of you girl…brave…but foolish." Dooku paused for a moment. "I would have thought you had a learned your lesson the first time." Padmé's eyes narrowed as she stared at Dooku with a determination he hadn't quite seen before.

"You'll find that I'm a slower learner." She leapt over him and tried to land a blow on his shoulder but the older warrior was too fast for her. He began to push her back away from Kenobi, which gave her master time to recuperate. Padmé blocked each of Dooku's strikes, her hair whipping around wildly as she clutched the hilt of her blade tightly. She managed to land a kick in his stomach that sent him flying back hard against an adjacent wall.

"You are powerful indeed for a Padawan…" He stood up and reignited his red blade. "Unfortunately, you don't know who you are dealing with." She grew nervous, but grit her teeth as the two of them clashed blades again. She moved to strike him again but was stopped seemingly in mid-air. He raised his hand and elevated her with the Force. Than he slammed down hard and severed her right arm clean off pushing her back hard against a metal container. She grunted and moaned next to her master.


	2. Chapter 2

**My apologies if this comes off as a bit sappy. But I never entirely liked the romance in Episode II, and I think I can do a bit better. So here it goes. This will also provide nice set up, because _obviously_ with the Rule 63 in play, the plot is going to go through some considerable changes. Please read and review and let me know what you think.**

 **Chapter 2**

 _A Week After the First Battle of Geonosis._

He cradled her in his arms as they journeyed back to Naboo. Coruscant had long since faded into the stars. Her metallic arm glistened. It was a poor substitute for the real thing. But then again, she was lucky to be alive. She stirred from her sleep. Looking into the senator's eyes, she smiled.

"Good morning."

"Morning," she replied. She yawned for a bit. "How long was I out for?"

"A couple of hours…you crashed as soon as we hit lightspeed."

"I'm guessing, Obi-Wan didn't like the idea of me accompanying you back home?" Anakin chuckled a bit.

"On the contrary, he was the one who suggested it." He paused for a moment, as she looked away from him. "You have to give him some credit some time. You're like a sister to him, he cares much for you."

"He said that?"

"Yes, before we left…while you were in surgery...in the bacta ward"

* * *

 _Five days earlier, Jedi Temple in Coruscant – Medical Wing_

The waiting was agonizing both for Senator Skywalker and for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Master Kenobi," said Anakin as Obi-Wan nodded his head as they looked at Padmé Naberrie's form swimming in the bacta.

"How is she?"

"The medical droids said she'll be fine…but the arm…" Kenobi patted the senator on his back.

"She fought valiantly against Dooku. They will knight her soon of that you can be sure...we're going to need all the generals we can get in this war." They looked away uncomfortably. "You care much for her."

"I do."

"I've never seen her so focused before in battle. Something changed in her for the better." Anakin Skywalker barely concealed a smile.

"She's very special to me," he added. "And has been since the whole business with the Trade Federation on Naboo when I was king…"

"That seems so long ago. It was a more innocent time than now." Kenobi paused. "You'll be heading home soon, I assume?"

"Only when she's better…she's been my bodyguard for the last few months…"

"…Which is why she'll be accompanying you back when you go home…I insist. It's least the Jedi Council can do to secure you safety Senator."

"I appreciate that." Kenobi waited before he brought up the subject that was most on his mind.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you. And, quite frankly, I don't need to know. But tell me this, why were you on a Tatooine?" Anakin squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.

"We we're looking for Shmi…she found her…but it was too late to do anything." Kenobi clenched his fists and closed his eyes. The pain was evident in his visage.

"She was having dreams…and I brushed them off. How could I be so foolish?" Anakin wondered whether he should share what else had happened that night at the Tusken Raiders' camp.

"There was something else…something you should know."

"What?"

"Her mother died…and she told me that she wiped out the Tusken Raider camp. All of them were killed by her in a rage." Kenobi's eyes widened.

"Had she told anyone else of this?"

"Not that I know of…why?"

"I think that should stay between the two of you and me." He shook his head, pressing his right hand up to his temple as he was consumed in thought. "I want her to be happy. She's the sister I never had." He turned to face Anakin, "Watch over her for me too."

* * *

 _The Present._

"Obi-Wan is a good man." Anakin said as he strokes Padmé's hands in his.

"He is." She looks outside at the stars passing them by. "What are we going to do about…us?" He turned to face her.

"I meant what I said in the arena."

"This is going to be difficult Anakin." He put one of his hands in the pocket of his senatorial jacket.

"That's why I think we need to do something radical." Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh really senator," she teased him. "What did you have in mind?" He pulled out a yellowish-blue ring out of his pocket. She backed away slightly as he gently put it on the flesh hand, slowly caressing her ring finger as he did so.

"I'd like you to be my wife…" There were tears sliding down her as she spoke.

"I'm going to war…we're going to be thousands of light-years apart…"

"I don't care," he leaned in. "I love you with all my heart…I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She nodded her head.

"Very well then, my king…" she caressed his face giving him a smile.

"Stop it! I haven't been a king since the Federation…" she silenced him with a kiss.

"I would be happy to be your queen of the Twin Suns." He grew serious and clutched the japor snippet he wore around his neck.

"How long will you have leave for?"

"A week. Anything longer than that, and they will begin to suspect."

"I'm pretty sure Obi-Wan knows about us…what possible difference could it make?"

"I have no choice. They want to send me and Obi-Wan to the Outer Rim Territories right away…some troubles are brewing in Hutt Space."

"Tatooine?"

"We're not sure yet."

"I guess this means we're going to have to wait on our honeymoon after all?" She punched him jokingly in the arm.

"Let's not think about that now. We have each other," she answered him as they kissed again.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I am working on 2 stories at once (the _Return of the Jedi AU_ has started in earnest). This chapter (along with the 2 previous ones) provides a bit of much needed set up. I need all the players on the chessboard and their personalities to be fleshed out before we start taking on fresh stories and deeper plot elements. Once again, let me know what you think. Read, review, and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 _Five Days Later. Naboo. Varykino. The Lake Country._

They were watching the lake waters move gently. They had been married such a short time and already they would have to part.

"What is it?" He asked. She traced the sand in front of them on the shoreline. She chuckled to herself. What a horrible pick up line she had thought of using with him only a few weeks before. The ring he had given her remained firmly in place on her hand.

"For the first time in my life, I'm happy," she said. "And now…this war…I feel like it's going to tear us apart before we have the time to live with each other." He rubbed her shoulders calming her down. He kissed her neck softly.

"You'll have leave time, I'll have recesses from the Senate…we'll make it work…I promise you that." He paused as she leaned against him.

"I'm not taking my ring off in battle…"

"And if people suspect something?"

"Let them…they are not going to take that piece of you away from me."

"Fair enough," he kissed her forehead gently.

"How early do you have to leave tomorrow?" She ran her fingers through her hair nervously.

"Dawn. Obi-Wan…he wants me to report directly to him at the rendezvous point near Nar Shaddaa. I'm being commissioned as a General in the Army of the Republic."

"Wow, my wife the general…" He messed her hair a little bit as she pushed him back to the floor and sat on his chest.

"Hey, it's still me Anakin."

"Yeah, I know…just don't let that go to your head. War does that sometimes."

 _Seven Months Later. Tatooine._

Tatooine remained the dry hellhole that Padmé Naberrie remembered from her childhood. She stepped outside the transport and discretely removed her ring from her neck putting it on her flesh hand. Obi-Wan Kenobi was not far behind her.

"Feeling all right?"

"Never better," she replied.

"You've been wearing that a lot," he pointed to the ring.

"It's a nice gift, that's all."

"From Senator Skywalker right?" She rolled her eyes at him as he laughed. "You know you don't have to keep any secrets from me Padmé." She sighed a bit.

"There's nothing to tell Ben." He gave her as smirked as she used his codename for the mission.

"You are a very powerful Jedi Padmé, but we have a bond that transcends that…" She moved closer to him as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I should trust in you more…you've been nothing but kind to me since I was a girl…" They sat next to each other by the shuttle. "Like old times, right?" He smiled at her.

"Yeah, except you are much bigger now." He paused. So tell me, what's going on?" She looked away from him running her fingers softly through her hair as she fiddled around with the hilt of her lightsaber.

"I think that when this war is over, I am going to go live on Naboo…and settle down." Hearing this, Obi-Wan Kenobi laughed.

"Really? I can't imagine a hot shot pilot like you ever doing that." She smiled at him.

"Well, sometimes there are more important things to do than fly around the galaxy." They heard blasters in the distance.

"You ready?"

"I think so." She gave her master a knowing smirk as she ignited her blade.

"Don't get too cocky Padmé…" She got up to leave as more Clone Troopers arrived in the main staging area. Obi-Wan Kenobi finally remembered something. "Oh, by the way…I almost forgot something else…"

"What is it?" She said. A fake sense of exasperation in her voice.

"Master Yoda has decided that you now that you are full-fledged Jedi Knight, you ought to have your own apprentice." Padmé's eyes bulged.

"What?"

"She'll be joining us in this fight. I think you'll like her."


	4. Chapter 4

**Just saw _Rogue One: A Star Wars Story_ last night. It was amazing! I loved _The Force Awakens_...but this movie was 100 times better. It is up there (as far as I'm concerned) with _The Empire Strikes Back_.**

 **Needless to say, I got a lot of inspiration from the war-centered framework of _Rogue One_...the ambiguity and uncertainty in that movie...the tension...all of this I'm trying to convey in this chapter. Enjoy, read, and review.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _Seven Months Later._

Ashoka Tano was sleeping in her tent as the mud built up around them all. Padmé Naberrie kept watch outside. The rain was sticking to her cloak for a moment as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Violence was something for which she had no taste. She knelt beside fallen Clone Troopers and enemy combatants—droids and organic life-forms alike. She remembered the battle which had only concluded mere hours before.

* * *

 _"_ _Stay close to me Ahsoka."_

 _"_ _Yes Master," her apprentice replied. There was a hail of blaster-fire. Padmé Naberrie caught sight of some of her Clone Commandos and regular Republican infantry taking heavy fire. Some of these individuals she had been shooting the breeze with earlier over a roaring fire. These were good people, some of whom had families. Even the Clones were real people, in some ways more real than the people who they were defending._

 _Now, these men—brave clones and volunteers—were been decimated before her eyes. The press had taken to calling her the "Hero with No Fear" but she had much to fear. Another volley of fire passed by her and hit Jax and Toros squarely in their faces. They were two of her closest friends in the regiment (besides Rex and Ahsoka). They were gone in an instant. What was left for her to do? She lifted her blade and charged into the thick of fighting between droidekas who were followed closely by a group of Geonosian warriors. If something didn't change soon, the Republican forces would die on this battlefield. It was then, that she realized that she couldn't see Ahsoka. She was nowhere to be found._

 _"_ _Snips! Snips! Where are you? Answer me…please!" she shouted, but none could hear anything over the heavy fighting much less see anything with all the fog and smoke that surrounded them. She heard the lurching sound of hover-tanks in the distance. They came over followed by walkers that looked like overgrown spiders. Explosions burst across the horizon, but she didn't care. Men and women whom she had known for so long were taking cover—some were keeling over dead with burn marks over them. Near one of the tanks, was Ahsoka Tano. She was bravely charging with Rex close behind her. Padmé Naberrie smiled as she ran through to her apprentice, they gazed at each other and once again plunged into the breach. This battle was not going to be easy._

* * *

"Padmé?" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a young teenage girl behind her. It was Ahsoka. She had woken up from her sleep. Padmé turned around and beckoned her to sit next to her.

"Rough night?" she asked Ahsoka.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Yeah…me neither." Ahsoka sighed for a moment burying her head in her hands.

"We've lost so many people Pad," she used her affectionate nickname reserved for her older "sister." She looked at the destroyed wasteland that had once been a nice valley before the Clone Wars brutally intervened. "Is it worth it?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm tired of fighting."

"Really? It doesn't look like that on the field of battle. You are so brave…you get into that zone…and then you never look back. How can you, of all people, be tired of fighting?" Padmé smiled uneasily. She nodded her head in response to her young apprentice's question.

"Duty is different than enjoyment Ahsoka." She used her formal name highlighting the seriousness of her response. "Truthfully, I don't want to be out here anymore than you do." She closed her eyes thinking of Anakin's warm smile desiring to be in his embrace. She lost herself in that moment before she realized what she was saying to her apprentice. "I want to be home with my family…with the man I love." She turned and faced Ahsoka. The young girl's eyes widened a bit as she digested the secret her master had just revealed to her. "That's why I'm fighting here, for love. Out of duty to the Republic and the Order…that's true. That's important. But I just want get back home to my husband in one piece." They were silent for a moment. Padmé hadn't even revealed this secret to anyone—not even Obi-Wan Kenobi was a hundred percent sure of his former's apprentices relationship with the Senator from Naboo. Ahsoka finally broke the silence.

"Now I know who gave you the ring." Padmé smiled.

"Will you turn me into the Council?" Ahsoka rolled her eyes signaling a bit of frustration.

"You really I'd do that to my big sister? Never." Padmé embraced Ahsoka who now saw the tears running down her master's face. "It must be hard being alone out here without him."

"Yes."

"Who is the lucky man who stole the Hero with No Fear's heart?" Padmé gave Ahsoka a swift punch to her shoulder and the two girls laughed.

"You know him well Snips." A familiar feeling came to her head, a man who always seemed constantly worried about Padmé. It all made sense to Ahsoka now. All the trips to and from Coruscant, to and from the Senate…It was all crystal clear to her now.

"Senator Skywalker." Padmé nodded her head silently. Ahsoka wanted to know more but she also didn't want to press her luck. "How long?"

"You are a nosey little Togruta…" She played with her hair for a moment before she answered. "We were married after the First Battle of Geonosis. We knew the risks…but we couldn't be apart."

"He's good in the Senate…he's one of the few politicians out there who fights for us."

"But he can't do it alone, which is why we have to do our job here."

"Pad," she asked.

"Yes?"

"If our job isn't worth it, if we're causing more violence and hate to spill over…if there's no end in sight to the war with the Separatists…why do we even bother? It's changing the Jedi." She paused. "It's changing us all." Padmé looked into Ahsoka Tano's eyes. There was an unspoken fount of wisdom that the young girl was tapping into—one that most Jedi Master's didn't even have access to and that was after years of training. Padmé Naberrie didn't have very many answers for her apprentice.

"I wish I knew all the answers. I wish I knew what to tell you. All I know is that this is the will of the Force for me and for you." They sat there, gazing at the stars above them. While Ahsoka hoped for peace and a quick end to the conflict that was engulfing the Galaxy, Padmé had more modest goals. She cared about peace, but she hoped that her husband was safe wherever he was and that they would see each other soon. She finally understood what he had meant so long ago at the arena, when death seemed certain for them both. She finally knew what it meant—what it felt like—to die a little each day. Only this time, it wasn't because they were trying to avoid their feelings for each other. On the contrary, it was because of a brutal war that was separating them on a daily basis. She was dying a little each day she was apart from her husband. With all the talk of wars and conspiracies and, with the Sith seemingly resurgent, it was hard to tell who would make it out of this war alive.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's some more. Again, a lot of set up, but it will be grand I'm sure. I want more character depth and insight into motivations. To those who have reviewed, unfortunately, this story will probably even set up for greater tragedy once we make it to the events of _Revenge of the Sith_...remember I'm being influenced by the mood and tenor of _Rogue One_ and the Original Trilogy. The telling her will set up a female Darth Vader, but how the children are born and kept hidden from her will be even more tortuous than the way things worked out in the Prequels. I don't want to spill the beans too much. **

**We see here, a lot more trust between the main characters, which is why the fall when it happens will be even more full of pain and angst.**

 **As usual, read and review.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _Four Months Later. The Skywalker Estate. Naboo._

They walked together through a secluded garden near the Skywalker Family estate in Varykino. Her hand never strayed far from his as they walked past a brook where the water flowed peacefully. The scene here was far more peaceful than anything she had seen in the Galaxy so far. Ahsoka Tano respected her enough to cover for her back on Coruscant. How long she would be able to afford to do that was yet to be seen. But Padmé Naberrie didn't care.

"It's beautiful here Ani." She said as she held her husband closer.

"Every time the Senate is in recess, I come back here to clear my mind." He paused for a moment, still not letting go of her droid hand. "What a mess we've created…and I don't have a quick fix for it. They all look to me for leadership. Mon Mothma and Bail Organa…Garm Bel Iblis…they all think I have answers…"

"And you don't think you do?" He posed the question back to her.

"Well, do you? You are one the most decorated generals in the Grand Army of the Republic." She nodded her head.

"It's not any easier for me dear."

"I've been thinking," he turned to face her. He didn't know how put what he felt into words. Anakin Skywalker, the powerful Senator from Naboo…and yet now he was speechless. Padmé gently caressed his face with her flesh hand, pulling him closer to her.

"What is it?" He saw the scar over her right eye and felt it with his fingers.

"Look what they've done to you," there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm all right Ani…" She embraced him. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"It's crazy, I know we're in the middle of a war…but," he searched for the right words. "I want to have a family with you…I want to have children, _our children_ …" She got emotional now.

"What about the war? Do we really want to have them grow up in this And the Jedi…they'll find out about us…" She felt like she was giving him a list of all the potential pitfalls and consequences. She stopped herself as he silenced her with a kiss.

"Shh…We can shield them from this war with the love we have for each other. And as for the Jedi, I really don't care anymore…all I know is that I won't be complete unless we have a family of our own." She closed her eyes tightly.

"All right."

"Yeah?"

"I'm with you. But I have one condition Senator." She gave him a sneaky look.

"What might that be General?" She laughed.

"I want to name the first child."

"That's fine by me."

* * *

 _Coruscant, Near the Senate._

Dooku stared at her with a sly smile covering his countenance.

"Master Naberrie…how is your _new arm?_ "

"Good enough to beat you Dooku." Obi-Wan stood next to his former apprentice.

"Padmé, we do this together this time."

"My thoughts exactly Ben." She used his codename from an earlier mission. It had grown into her equivalent of Snips for Kenobi.

"I would be very careful of your next move. You see, I have a bargaining chip that you ought to be concerned about." Padmé and Kenobi ignited their blades defensively, preparing for the worst.

"What might that be?" Asked Padmé.

"I have placed a series of thermal detonators in the offices of the Senate…I'm targeting Mid-Rim officials. Including the officials from the Chommell Sector." Dooku narrowed his gaze, zeroing in on Padmé's reaction, but she didn't betray the fear she felt crawling up her spine as he spoke. Kenobi decided to speak up.

"And if we let you go, what guarantee do we have that you won't blow up that section of the Senate?"

"I still retain some of my honor Obi-Wan…"

"Enough of this Ben, we should take him down."

"Steady Padmé…"

"So what will it be, Jedi?"

"Padmé," he glanced at her trying to calm her down. "We'll catch up to him again. I promise."

"A wise decision, Master Kenobi." Dooku extinguished his blade and gently placed it back at his side. He nodded his head toward Padmé and then exited the room, leaving behind him two bewildered Jedi.

"You don't need your weapon anymore…he's gone Pad." She gave me him an odd look and then extinguished her blade.

"Let's get out of here," she said without her usually bravado.

* * *

 _Near the Chommell Sector's Offices in the Senate._

"We need to speak…now." Kenobi said as he caught up to her.

"I've got nothing to say to you Ben…we had him…and we let him go."

"I made that call…"

"It wasn't yours to make," she faced him as she spoke. "It was _mine…_ he leveled that threat at me, not at you." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I think you should tell me what I already know."

"Which is what?"

"You should at least have the sense of trusting me after all this time."

"What do you want to know _Obi-Wan_?" She said his name was a hint of bitterness and sarcasm that was hard for him to miss.

"I made the call because I know how attached you are to a certain Senator from Naboo. Now the two of you may think that I don't know what's going on, but I have been well-aware for quite some time."

"I don't have to listen to this…least of all from you," she was angry now. He grabbed her wrist gently and turned her around.

"Tell me the truth Padmé." She sighed, as if a burden was finally lifting from her.

"Follow me."

* * *

They walked toward 500 Republica, a rich apartment complex. They stood in silence as the tube brought them up to the seventh floor. Padmé pressed a button and Senator Anakin Skywalker answered the door.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Before he had finished speaking, he caught sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Wow…umm…come on in." She didn't even keep up appearance and swiftly grabbed her husband's hand in hers, kissing his lips softly.

"I see." Said Obi-Wan nonchalantly, a hint of humor in his voice. It was clear that none of this surprised him. The trio sat across from each other, with Padmé next to her husband on a long divan.

"You see…I couldn't stop what I was feeling for him. Neither of us could. So…" She looked for a way to state the obvious. "We were married two years ago in Naboo."

"I knew that. I just wanted to hear it from you." Kenobi cleared his throat. "And how long has Ahsoka known about this?" She smiled uneasily at Kenobi.

"You really don't miss a beat, eh?" She squeezed Anakin's hand. "Shortly after the sieges started. She needed advice, and I gave it to her without thinking." She paused again. "I'm sorry I lied to you. You're right. You deserved to be the first to know. So now what?"

"Nothing. I am not going to tell anyone. I want you to be happy, I've always wanted that for you. If anything, your marriage has made you a better Jedi Knight than you otherwise would have been." She breathed a sigh of relief as Anakin brought her in for a close embrace. "But you must be more discreet than you have been. Anyone can tell just by looking at the way you interact that something's going on." Anakin burst out laughing.

"We're that obvious?"

"Yes, you are." Kenobi played with the hilt of his lightsaber as he spoke. "Who else knows?" Anakin replied to him.

"My family on Naboo, her family on Tatooine…you and Ahsoka…and that's it…maybe some of my closest retainers…Panaka…and the rest…but that's it."

"Your secret cannot stay hidden much longer, and certainly not beyond the conclusion of this war. The Council will eventually find out, you must see this Padmé. If this is the life you want, you'll have to be prepared for any consequences that may arise."

"I know Ben." He smiled at her.

"But I will be at your side defending you, no matter what happens. Never forget that."


	6. Chapter 6

**So here is another chapter from this AU. As I said before, now we will be going into familiar territory. Again, things are not all they seem. While many of the choices are main character is making will seem better, a fall is coming. Please read and review. This will be getting tragic over the next few chapters and then we will move to a very unusual version of the OT. Read, review, and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 _One year later. Last Days in the Outer Rim. During the height of the Sieges. Hutt Space._

"A distress call, what kind of emergency?" Padmé asked. Ben Kenobi looked at her as he put away the comlink.

"I am afraid it's bad news from Coruscant…" Padmé's heart fluttered. Her master grabbed her shoulder gently. "It's not Anakin, he's safe. I made sure of that." He paused as he looked up at the stars above them. "It's worse…Dooku and General Grievous have launched a surprise attack on the capital." Her eyes widened. She felt a mix of shock and disbelief.

"What are you saying?"

"Padmé, the Chancellor was kidnapped by Dooku. The Council has ordered us to jump to lightspeed immediately and join the battle." She closed her eyes. Padmé Naberrie had felt many things in her life, but fear was not usually one of them. She mustered the courage and looked her brother in the eyes calmly.

"All right. Lead the way Ben." They went to put on their flight suits and toward destiny.

* * *

 _Aboard the Invisible Hand, main control room_.

The Starfighter battle had been a raucous affair. The two Jedi almost got shot down at least four times between them. Now they faced Count Dooku.

"You aren't escaping this time Dooku." Said Padmé as she ignited her saber. Ben Kenobi followed suit.

"Twice the pride double the fall young Naberrie. You're still the same overconfident girl I met at Geonosis. Tell me, how is your darling husband?" Whatever reaction he expected from Obi-Wan Kenobi, he didn't get. He finally realized that Kenobi knew the truth as much as he did. "Ah, so your master knows...a pity that both of you will be dead…who will protect Senator Skywalker then?"

"Silence Dooku!" Exclaimed Kenobi. "We take him him together this time." The three warriors fought a deadly dance across the hall in front of the bound figure of Chancellor Palpatine. Kenobi slammed his saber to the right as Dooku parried skillfully, but he wasn't fast enough as Padmé singed the Sith Lord's shoulder forcing him to back away.

"Impressive Padmé…but only a burn…nothing more. You can only defeat me with your anger Jedi scum!" Padmé didn't flinch as she followed in lock-step with her master's moves striking to the left and then to right as Kenobi mirrored her striking pattern. They were slowly pushing Dooku back toward the blast doors.

"Now Ben!" Shouted Padmé. Kenobi leapt up and over Dooku who barely managed to block Kenobi's strike to his back. Padmé lunged forward plunging her blade into Dooku's side causing him to crumble to the floor.

"You are under arrest by Republic Dooku, yield…now…" Said Kenobi. But Dooku wasn't finished yet. He used the Force to slam a heavy bar at Kenobi's head causing him to slam hard against a wall. Padmé ran to him and checked his vitals. He was all right, but unconscious. Padmé turned around to see Dooku standing over her with his curved hilt in his hands ready to strike.

"Compassion is the downfall of the Jedi, Naberrie…you of all people should know that best." He paused as he ignited his dark red blade and aimed it at her back. "After I'm through with you, I'll pay a visit to Skywalker…I promise you he will die a slow and painful death." She closed her eyes and concentrated deeply. Somehow she managed to dodged his strike and leapt up spinning around and slamming her leg squarely into his chest. She ignited her blade.

"Leave my husband out of this. This is between you and me Dooku."

"So be it, Padmé." He grit his teeth as he struck her with another blow. She blocked him easily. "Come now girl, do you really think you can defeat me? You are no match for me." Her old familiar sarcasm came out as she struck at him again.

"You talk too much, you know that?" She struck a blow, he parried. She lunged to the side and he dodged easily and struck her again. She blocked his blade again. They were more than evenly matched now, and Dooku knew quite well that he could not hold her off forever. Padmé kicked him back and slammed her fist into chest hard. Finally, she swung her blade hard and sliced his left arm off. Without missing a beat she sent him flying back hard against the wall. "Yield, Dooku. I won't ask you again." She held her saber directly over his neck. He raised his hands in defeat. Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Good Padmé, very good." It was Palpatine. "You've done well." There was a pause. "Now, kill him…kill now. He is too dangerous to be kept alive." She noticed Dooku's eyes widened. There was a familiarity between the defeated Sith Lord and Palpatine—it was more than just hostage and hostage-taker…more than just fallen Jedi and Chancellor of the Republic. It dawned on her then. She knew exactly the relationship that these two men had with each other. It felt like what she had with Kenobi…an apprentice looking…no…pleading with his master to let him live. _But how could that be?_ She thought to herself. That would mean that Palpatine was more than just the Chancellor. She finally found the courage to speak up.

"No." She extinguished her blade and hung it at her side. "I will not kill him Chancellor." She paused for a moment. "He must stand trial for his crimes." She took her droid hand and helped Dooku up to his feet. The defeated Sith Lord was in shock.

"I…I misjudged you Padmé. I didn't realize that the Hero with No Fear was capable of mercy." She gave him a wry smile.

"You will pay for your crimes, but not by my hand." She quickly bound Dooku's remaining arm with the stump of what was left of his other arm and sat him down. Before she freed the Chancellor, she helped Obi-Wan Kenobi to his feet. "Ben! Ben! Wake up! We gotta get out of here." He stirred slowly. Then his eyes fluttered open.

"Pad, are you all right?" She chuckled.

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"Dooku?" She turned back.

"I took care of it, he's in custody." Kenobi stood up and saw the Sith Lord seated on the floor with chains around his remaining arm.

"Free the Chancellor, I'll handle Dooku." She nodded her head as she went to where Palpatine sat. The older man spoke to her in quiet tones.

"Mercy has many merits, but you and I both know he is too dangerous."

"That may be so sir, but I think there's been enough blood spilled by both sides for today…don't you think?" He didn't respond to her but sat there with a ambiguous look on his face.

"Let's find our way to the bridge," said Kenobi. "Maybe we can stop this war today once and for all." They could only hope that things would work for the best.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a shorter chapter. It speaks for itself. I wanted to capture a certain element here. Please read and review. I'm building up to a particular arc. The shroud of the Dark Side will fall soon enough.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _Coruscant. After the rescue of the Chancellor._

"You deal with the politicians." Said Kenobi.

"Not fair master," Padmé replied. "You played a big part in saving the Chancellor."

"I insist, I think it's time you enjoy the limelight for once." She bowed to him.

"Well, I guess that means I have saved your life ten times now." He rolled his eyes.

"Nine, Pad. That time on Cato Neimodia doesn't count." She laughed as she walked away.

"Whatever you say Ben."

* * *

She met with Bail Organa's retinue.

"General Naberrie," he bowed before her. "You are our greatest champion. It's an honor to see you safe and sound again."

"Well, it was a close one this time Senator Organa."

"It's a shame that Count Dooku didn't make it out alive." She closed her eyes. Grievous had butchered him in front of their eyes. "One thing's sure…somebody certainly wanted him out of the way before he could say anything else. Whatever he knew, it's gone now." She wondered if Organa was right. Palpatine had acted strangely on the _Invisibile Hand_ , that was for sure. Before her thoughts could wander further, she caught sight of a familiar face hiding among the columns.

"Excuse me Senator…" She bowed to him briefly.

"Of course." She looked around and quickly ran down to where her husband was waiting for her. They embraced, and he kissed her.

"Padmé…"

"Ani…" She stroked his face.

"You had everybody scared down here. I knew it was you, even though the Holos didn't identify you by name." She laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're the only one I know in this entire galaxy who would fly crazy like that." His tough demeanor faded a bit, as he held her close. "Force knows what I'd have done if you hadn't made it. There were whispers that you had been killed in the sieges." She kissed his forehead.

"I'm all right." He smiled. She was shaking a bit, her hands quivered ever so slightly.

"What's a matter? I've never seen you this way. You're trembling…" She smiled and looked away. "What is it?" He noticed tears in her eyes.

"Something wonderful has happened." She guided his hand with her flesh hand and rested it over her belly which he noticed was a bit larger than usual. "Anakin, I'm pregnant." He smiled immensely.

"Wow…"

"Say something…"

"This is the happiest moment of life Padmé." He paused. "When did you find out? How far along are you?"

"I found out during the Outer Rim sieges. Right after we saw each other, I had to see a med droid for a checkup, and the droid told me the news." She paused now and kept his hand on her stomach. "Ani, feel him." He felt a small kick. Senator Skywalker's face lit up.

"With a kick like that, it's gotta be a girl Padmé."

"What are we going to do?" A hint of fear lingered in her voice.

"Don't worry about it…sometimes General…you have to let me protect you."

"Oh yeah?" She smiled.

"Absolutely." He paused.

"Speak with Ben and Ahsoka…they can help us."

"Ok…ok…" she said.

"I want to see you tonight."

"What?" she asked.

"It's been seven months…almost a year Pad."

"I don't know if I can get out of the Temple." He smirked at her.

"You aren't an apprentice anymore. You have freedom of movement right?" She nodded her head.

"I have to see you, I have to be with you…" He grabbed her hand and leaned in close. "I'd like to be with my wife and not simply another admirer of the great Hero with No Fear." She blushed at the last comment.

"All right, I'll do what I can." She looked around to make sure no one was there. "I have to go."

"Ok." He kissed her and then reluctantly let her go. As she walked away he stood behind a column again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone in the shadows watching them. He quickly ran to catch up to Bail Organa. They began talking. Nevertheless, Anakin Skywalker couldn't help but look back behind him. The figure was gone. He could have sworn it looked like Chancellor Palpatine, but he couldn't be sure.

* * *

 _"Ben?"_ The comlink blared to life. Obi-Wan rose to answer it.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end was that of Anakin Skywalker. No pleasantries or formalities were exchanged. Kenobi could sense that something was troubling the Senator from Naboo.

 _"We need to talk, how quickly can you meet me in the antechamber of the Senate?"_

"Five minutes." There was no response to that. Skywalker had cut off the transmission

* * *

"Why all the secrecy Anakin?" Said Obi-Wan Kenobi. They were walking past gigantic statues of famous senators and galactic representatives.

"I'm part of a group that is concerned about Palpatine." Kenobi's eyes widened with interest as Skywalker continued. "I know that I'm responsible for all of this…"

"It's not your fault. You were dealing with an invasion, you had no choice." Anakin raised his hand and dismissed what Kenobi was saying.

"There's always a choice Ben." He shook his head. "Palpatine has spies all over the place. I couldn't risk talking about this inside my offices. Besides, he has me afraid for other reasons."

"Why, what happened?"

"I'm almost positive he was watching me and Padmé together."

"You believe he knows about you two?"

"Yes." Kenobi was perplexed.

"He's always been close to Padmé ever since the Battle with the Federation." Anakin nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, and that's what has me worried. We're all worried in the Senate. The man has no boundaries…we give him more power…the emergency power to run the war. I would have never voted for that piece of legislation if I'd been here."

"The Sith orchestrated it all," said Kenobi. "Which is why I need you keep close watch over your wife. She's vulnerable."

"I know no one with as much honor and integrity as her,"

"That's true, but she _trusts_ Palpatine. He has been with her much longer in many ways than either of us."

"But she _loves me_." Kenobi smiled.

"Yes, she does. Which is why you have something that the Chancellor does not…you have an advantage that he cannot possibly overcome."

"Right." Kenobi's comlink sounded. He checked it and then looked back at Senator Skywalker.

"I've got to go."

"Ben…" Kenobi turned around as the Senator spoke. "Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it comes, the moment of truth. More will come later. But I got inspired. Read, review, and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _Two weeks later._

Mustafar was a hellish planet. Anakin Skywalker did not relish landing there. But he had no choice. He prayed that everything Ben Kenobi had told him was false. In his heart, however, he knew what he said was true. _There's still light in her yet_. Thought not a Force-user himself, he could feel her presence.

"Anakin," spoke the reassuring voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi. "We're landing."

"I know."

"You should go out first, I can wait…"

"No. Ben we do this together." He nodded his head, understanding Anakin Skywalker's reasoning. They could hear the snap hiss of the hatch below them. "Threepio,"

"Yes Master Anakin?"

"Stay with the ship."

The two men slowly descended down the ramp. He saw her at a distance away. Any pretense or fear left him, as he ran toward her and they embraced. He kissed his wife's lips softly.

"What are you doing here Ani?" He stroked his wife's hair gently.

"We're here to help sweetheart."

" _We?_ " She asked. It was then that Padmé caught sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi. She looked away from them both.

"You brought him here?"

"He wants to help us." He pulled her close him. She leaned in to him. He felt her tears. She was suffering. There was a mix of fire in her eyes but also a deep sorrow.

"No...one…should…help…me." The words came out in measured but resigned tones. Padmé stared at her one-time mentor. "You're not here…to kill me?"

"No Pad," Ben Kenobi hastened to add.

"What are you doing out here?" Her husband asked.

"Sidious…I mean Palpatine…the Chancellor…he sent me here to kill all the Separatist leaders. The War really is over now."

"No," said her husband as he closed his eyes in frustration. "It's only just begun." He held her hand and she squeezed it tightly.

"You are safe now Anakin. There's nothing else to worry about," she said.

"I'm worried about you. Ben cares about us…cares about you. He wants to protect our family."

"Kenobi can't protect you. He can't…he can't help you because he's not strong enough. He's not strong enough to save you or our child from dying." Obi-Wan Kenobi moved closer to the two of them, but Anakin raised his hand telling him to stay back.

"All I want is your love. That's all I need. These dreams…nightmares…are nothing. Look at me Padmé…I am not going to die. Our child will not die. These are lies. Someone is manipulating you." For a moment, it appeared like the old Padmé was listening but it soon proved to be a false hope.

"Love won't save you Ani…only my new powers can do that now." Anakin Skywalker bravely summoned all his strength to him and spoke with his convictions that had won so many arguments before.

"At what cost Pad? Think about what you are doing!" Obi-Wan spoke up.

"You're on the precipice. You don't have to fall over it." Padmé suddenly grew angry.

"Yoda sent you to kill me."

"That's true, but I can't…I can't do it. You're my sister." He removed his lightsaber and threw it down at her feet. "I can't do that to you." He moved closer to her as Anakin spoke up, as he held her in his arms.

"You are a good person. Don't do this." Padmé Naberrie shut her eyes tightly clenching her fists. There was an internal conflict in her. The two people she most trusted in the entire universe were putting themselves in danger to bring her back from the edge. Even though she was filled with the Dark Side, even though she committed acts of murder and treason the likes of which she had never thought herself capable of…in spite of all this she was still Padmé, the young slave girl who had fallen in the love with the boy king of Naboo so many years before on Tatooine. Nevertheless, she couldn't break free from her master. Too much was at stake for her to do that.

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother! Don't you see, Ani? I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you." Anakin tried again to reason with her.  
"Come home with me to Naboo. We can leave all of this behind and raise our family in peace." He turned to Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Right, Ben?" Kenobi nodded his head in agreement. "Leave everything behind while we still can sweetheart. Listen to me, please!" Padmé's voice changed as she smiled somewhat.

"Don't you see," she grabbed her husband's hand and caressed his face gently. "We don't have to live a lie anymore. We don't have to run away." She paused for a moment. "I have brought this War to its final end. The Republic is at peace." Anakin intervened interrupting her.

"The Republic? Padmé, the Republic is dead…and Palpatine has established an Empire. That's not what either of us fought for." She looked at him with icy eyes.

"I am more powerful than Sidious can possibly imagine. I can overthrow him easily my love. Join me…"

"What are you saying?" Anakin asked, a mix of fear and confusion overtaking him.

"Together you and I can rule the galaxy as husband and wife. We can make things the way we want them to be without any interruptions to our plans. No one can stand in our way." She quickly turned to Obi-Wan, a maddening look in her eyes that neither one of them had ever seen before.

"Ben…you would be my chief counselor…my most trusted advisor…my general…the last of the Jedi…" Anakin exchanged a glance with Kenobi. They were both dumbstruck.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," said Anakin. "What has come over you?" A new tone crept into her voice.

"The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me too." It was a not-so-veiled threat at both of them. Anakin fought back the tears in his eyes, but they came anyway.

"I don't know you. The girl I met in that shop…it's not you. I'll never stop loving you. But I can't follow you down this path." He turned away from her, and walked toward Kenobi. "She's lost…she's really lost." Kenobi didn't know what to do either. Before either of them could react however, they heard her voice loudly echoing through the hills as she shouted out extending her hand

"You won't leave me! I won't allow it!" They realized too late, that it wasn't just her anger. She realized it to, that the unwittingly she used the Force to hurl her husband back hard against a series of tangled rocks and metal. He screamed out in pain. Then she saw it, one of the jagged pieces of the rocks made it clean through his side. "Oh Force…what have I done…"

"Ben…" he shouted. "Don't hurt her!" Suddenly, she grabbed hold of her waist and screamed out in pain.

"Their coming! What have I done!" She screamed out repeatedly as she crumpled to the floor in agony. Ben Kenobi helped Anakin get loose from the rocks, but he looked at him sternly.

"She needs you…help her!" He nodded his head and knelt by his former apprentice.

"Take it easy Padmé."

"Ben…I can't stop this…" There was no doubt in anyone's mind. She was going to give birth.


	9. Chapter 9

**So here is the next installment. We will be getting to the end of the prequels and into the Original Trilogy soon. I am not settled on what will happen to Senator Anakin Skywalker. His fate could go either way at this point. There are certain things I'm leaving out for the moment. Padmé's turn to the Dark Side, what happens in the Chancellor's office, and the raid on the Temple...these might come back in flashbacks. In the next few chapters, I hope to get us into the period of Rebels/Rogue One/Episode 4. Please read, review, and offer any advice or opinions. Would love to see more detailed and longer reviews if possible. Let me know what you think so far. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 _A week earlier. 500 Republica, Coruscant._

Ben Kenobi entered Senator Skywalker's apartment. He had been invited along with his former apprentice for dinner. What that really meant is that the husband and wife he knew as his best friends were inviting him over for something serious. He and Ahsoka had made sure that Padmé could go to the apartment well in advance. As he entered, he smelled food cooking. Senator Skywalker invited him embracing him.

"Welcome home, Ben." He saw Padmé finishing in the kitchen. Kenobi cracked a smile.

"Padmé I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be in a kitchen…" she waved a hand dismissively at her former master.

"Ben watch what you say next…" He laughed as he sat down. She embraced him as well as she sat next to her husband. "Truthfully, when I'm home I'm not the Hero with No Fear. I'm just Padmé Skywalker." Ben's eyes widened, disturbed a bit. The name suited her well. But he feared for the consequences that both of them might experience.

"The two of you have been far more open and less discrete than I would be if I shared your predicament. Why the sudden change?" Husband and wife exchanged a glance. She gestured for Anakin to speak.

"Well, my wife has some wonderful news."

"Oh?"

"I'm pregnant Ben." She paused. "This time, you are the first to know outside of Ani. I haven't told Ahsoka yet." Great joy filled Kenobi but great trepidation as well.

"Thank you for trusting me."

"What are little sisters for Obi-Wan?"

"What will the two of you do, obviously the Council will sense you're hiding something?" Anakin grabbed his wife's hand.

"We'll go to Naboo, have the child there…and then we'll both go before the Council." She faced her former master.

"I'm resigning my commission in the Grand Army of the Republic once this war is over."

"You may have to stop being a Jedi Knight Pad, do you think you can handle that?"

"I do," said Padmé. She looked at Anakin. "We both do."

* * *

 _The Present. Mustafar._

Whatever day Padmé Amidala Skywalker had in mind, it was not going well. Through the pain, she held Obi-Wan Kenobi's hand. Her husband, bleeding from the wound on his side was holding her hand.

"She's fading," Ben said.

"Don't do this to me." Said Anakin. Ben looked at his wound.

"Get back to the ship and get that treated…"

"I'm not leaving her!"

"You don't have a choice." He breathed in deeply and added, "I'll help her out. I promise." He looked at the chronometer on his wrist. "But if I'm not back in half an hour, you take off right away." Anakin Skywalker nodded his head as he staggered back to the Nubian cruiser.

"Pad, if you can hear me…you need to push…" She barely opened her eyes.

"Ben…how can you help me after all I've done?"

"We can worry about that later," he noticed her pulse was fading. "You have to push Padmé." She clenched her fists and concentrated slowly pushing. "I see the baby's head. Come on!" She pushed harder screaming loudly. The baby boy came out straight into Kenobi's hands. She sighed in relief. But Kenobi sensed it wasn't over yet.

"I'm not done."

"I know." Mere minutes passed, before she pushed again this time leading to the birth of a baby girl. Before he could say anything she faded out into unconsciousness again with a smile on her face. He stood up cradling the two babies and walked to the craft.

* * *

"You all right Anakin?" The wounded senator nodded, but he still looked pale. He noticed the two infants he was cradling.

"Are those?"

"Yes, these are your children."

"Where's Padmé? Is she safe? Is she all right?" Ben looked away.

"For the moment." He paused.

"Why isn't she here?" Kenobi ignored the question.

"Anakin, you need to get out of here." The senator shook his head in disbelief. "You need to take your children and go to the coordinates I give you. With any luck, I'll meet you there with Padmé."

"I don't believe you." He moved to take his children away from Kenobi. "You don't think she can come back, do you?"

"No."

"So you're lying to me Ben?"

"She's out there, unconscious on the platform where we left her. She's safe. But truthfully, I don't know who's going to wake up. Will it be Padmé or Vader?"

"Who is Vader?" Asked Anakin Skywalker.

"Sidious gave his new apprentice a name…Darth Vader…Lady Vader…that's the persona she took…that's who I saw on the security recordings from the temples…" Anakin interrupted him.

"But that's not who we saw a moment ago."

"Anakin you don't understand. She's fighting to choose one side or the other, but you heard her…before…that wasn't Padmé…"

"It was Vader."

"Yes." Kenobi paused. "I'll do my best to bring her back from the edge, but if she doesn't come back. Then I'll do what I must to protect whatever hope is left in this galaxy." He paused again. "Which is why you need to get out of here now!" Suddenly, they both heard an ominous sound behind them.

" _KENOBI!_ "

"Go now!" Shouted the Jedi. Anakin quickly made the preparations to launch the shuttle. As he turned back, he saw the fire in his wife's eyes. He quickly put the ship up and blasted away.

"Padmé, I can explain…" He turned around to face her. His lightsaber hanging from his side as he spoke, but she plainly didn't want to hear what he had to say.

"Where are my children Kenobi? Where is my husband? You will tell me where they are now."

"They are safe. That's all I'm going to tell you."

"You're lying. They didn't make it did they."

"Padmé…even if I can't prove it you…they are alive…I promise you that."

"Then where are they Kenobi?" He saw the redness in her eyes.

"Somewhere far away where Darth Vader will never find them." She stopped short at the sound of her Sith name. "That is who you are now isn't it? Or are you still Padmé Skywalker?"

"You're not going to take them away from me." Ben Kenobi sighed.

"Look at what you did to your husband! You hurt the man that you loved…the man you were trying to save…because you got angry. You misused your power in an instant." He paused as he spoke in measured tones. "You took your family away the minute you turned your hand against them." She ignited her blade.

"I will find them Kenobi…if they are alive…I will find them even if have to tear the galaxy apart until I do."

"You won't hurt them again…"

"You're not thinking of stopping me Ben?" He ignited his blade keep it away from him to the side.

"I don't want to hurt you. I want to save you. But if that's not possible, I'll do what I must." She smirked at him evilly.

"You will try old man." She yelled out as she charged at him, and the battle that he was hoping to avoid commenced.


	10. Chapter 10

**I am leaving it a bit ambiguous for you here. This was a pretty intense chapter to write. I feel that I'm still trying to rectify the poor choices Lucas made in the prequels as we saw them. First, I hope this is more convincing. Second, I hope you enjoy this. I think we will start the path to Episode 4 in the following chapters. Things will change there as well. I like doing flashbacks (if you've read my other stories, you'll see I do that as a lot as a plot device or to explore a particularly interesting or relevant episode).**

 **As usual, please read and review. Would love to see longer critical reviews here. Let me know what you think and what you might be interested in seeing.**

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

They faced each other for a moment. Padmé struck at him, but he blocked her easily.

"You can't win." He said. She clutched her waist as she stumbled back. He pulled his blade away from her. "You're in pain. You need a doctor not a fight." She clenched her teeth as she brought her blade crashing down toward him. He blocked her again as he backed away.

"I've got enough strength to kill you!" He raised his blade up defensively.

"Please don't do this," Kenobi pleaded with her. She grunted slightly again, backing away from him. The pain was unbearable, but that only made her more angry. Her eyes were deep red now as she summoned all her strength. She fumbled through what was left of the med-pack on her side and plunged a vile of bacta into her side. The pain began to subside, though not entirely.

"I'll ask you one more time Kenobi," she taunted him. "Where is my family….tell me _now!_ " He shut his eyes deeply and raised his saber up once again. He refused to answer her questions.

"I won't fight you Padmé." She smiled now, as she raised her blade.

"I am more powerful than anyone in this galaxy, you cannot stop me!" With that she charged at him and they began fighting on a catwalk near the flowing magma and steam vents. She swung her blade aggressively, occasionally losing balance. By contrast, Ben Kenobi remained calm, slowly deflecting each of her blows without striking back. He was fighting defensively, he didn't desire to kill her. She swung harder and managed to land a kick into his chest sending him flying backward landing hard on the ground. He stood up and quickly parried another one of her blows.

She was becoming more disciplined as she relied heavily on her Jedi training as well as the anger that he could almost feel flowing through her. She swung harder, almost taking off his arm. There was no turning back now, one of them was not going to make it out alive from this duel. He grit his teeth and began to push back, this time he was aiming for some sort of a blow to end the battle. He swung back furiously and flipped over her swinging hard. She blocked him.

"Padmé give this up, please…"

"You taught me too well master." He backed away, barely dodging another one of her blows as he raised his saber above his head and swung down hard singing her arm lightly. She grunted in pain but quickly recovered.

"Apparently not well enough," he retorted as he leapt over her and aimed for her back. She fell to her knees and blocked his strike stretching her arms behind her to parry his strike. They both paused. They were tired. The red color of her eyes began to fade back to blue for a moment.

"Why won't you end this already?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of losing you." He paused as he extinguished his blade. He remained cautiously, keeping the hilt of the lightsaber in his hands as he steadily backed away from her. "I know that there is good left you, don't let the darkness overtake you!" He pleaded with her. It seemed, that maybe Ben Kenobi's words were reaching her. Then he saw the redness written and she again rose up with her blade gripped tightly in both of her hands.

"It's too late now Ben. You had your chance to join me." She closed her eyes, summoning all of the fury she could muster. Then she ran at him and struck him blow for blow, he quickly ignited his blade and blocked each strike. Nevertheless, she was slowly pushing him back toward the edge. He had to do something drastic otherwise she was going to kill him. He closed his eyes. Obi-Wan Kenobi would never forgive himself for what happened next. She was too confident in her next strike and leaned too close to him. He quickly struck down hard, severing her droid arm. Then, in a split second, he struck her hard, severing her right leg, sending her crashing down the side of the mountain. He saw her fall screaming loudly down into the fiery valley of smoke and black rocks below. She had dropped her old lightsaber on the ground. He signed, there were tears stinging his eyes as he knelt down and picked up her Jedi weapon.

* * *

 _Two hours later. Polis Massa Medical Center._

Kenobi's ship landed five minutes earlier. Bail Organa met him at the platform.

"How is Senator Skywalker?"

"He is stable, but he lost a lot of blood."

"And the babies, Bail?"

"They are healthy." It was then that Bail noticed the condition of the once venerable Jedi. His face was covered in soot, his clothing was in tatters. He was bleeding from several wounds in his face and side. "You look horrible, Obi-Wan. What happened back there?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." He paused. "Just take me to Anakin…"

They made their way without saying another word to the medical ward. Anakin Skywalker looked less pale than before, but it was clear all was not well. He noticed Obi-Wan's appearance, and turned away.

"Leave me alone Ben."

"You know I can't do that." Bail Organa discretely left the two men alone.

"Did you have to kill her?" Skywalker asked him as he contemplated his appearance.

"I'm not sure she's dead, I feel her Force signature." Anakin Skywalker sighed as he painfully helped himself out of the bed. "Don't stand."

"Why not? Whatever's going to happen to me will happen regardless of what I do now. You knew that the moment you entered the med-bay." He paused as he loosened his blue vest, revealing the gaping hole on his chest. It was purple and black. It had been cleaned, but it did not look good at all.

"What did the med-droids say?"

"They can't stop the bleeding. We have to wait and see if it stops." He paused as he gently touched the wound on his chest. The wound that his wife had inadvertently given him as a parting gift to the man she loved. "But I'm no fool. I've been losing a lot of blood, I feel it building up here." He pointed to the lower part of his chest, where the bottom part of his lungs were to be found. "I broke my promise to Padmé."

"How?" He laughed to himself as he replied to Kenobi's question.

"I named both of our children. She wanted to name the first one, but that wasn't going to happen." Kenobi smiled uneasily as he patted Anakin on the back slightly.

"What are their names?"

"Luke and Leia Skywalker."

"Those are nice names."

"Yes, they are." They were silent again for a moment. Finally, Anakin Skywalker sat down and laid back on the bed. He faced Kenobi. "Whatever she has done, whatever she has become. There is still good in her. Even you felt that." Ben Kenobi nodded his head in agreement. "I only wish I had enough time to raise them, to tell our children about what a beautiful person their mother was."

"You'll have that time," said Kenobi.

"Don't lie to me Ben." He turned away and tried to sleep, but found that he could not. There was something else he needed to do before he closed his eyes. "Promise me something…"

"Anything Anakin, tell me." Anakin Skywalker grabbed hold of Kenobi's hand hard, clutching at it desperately. His face was growing more pale by the minute. There were small beeps and alarms coming from the IV's and plugs that were monitoring his vital signs.

"Promise me, that you will raise the children." He paused. Ben Kenobi was too shocked to respond. Anakin Skywalker's eyes widened, there was a seriousness of purpose in his face. " _Promise me that Obi-Wan!"_

"I promise, I'll protect them." Anakin Skywalker relaxed a bit and smiled. Kenobi grabbed a chair and sat next to him in silence as they both look out at the stars and asteroids that lay outside of the chamber. Ben Kenobi always stood by his word. He was unsure of how he would fulfill this promise, but he intended to guard the children of his former apprentice with his life if need be.


	11. Chapter 11

**I am inspired but also saddened. You know already that I'm a big fan of _Star Wars_. I dedicate this section to the memory of Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) who died earlier this morning. She will be missed. There is only one Leia, so I don't pretend to do justice to that character here. But it seems fitting that I begin my _A New Hope_ section with her in light of the tragic passing of a great actress and a wonderful human being. My God protect her and keep her. May she rest in peace.**

 **Note, I will not be covering everything that happens in _A New Hope_. I've already done (and am continuing to do) a fair amount of that in some of my other stories. But there are some parts I want to revisit.**

 **Please, read, review, and provide constructive criticism.**

 **As always, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 _19 years later. Tatooine._

The sands of time had not been kind to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He never dreamed that he would return to Tatooine. But he had done so in an effort to protect his apprentice's children—or at least one of them. They were faced with an impossible choice. It was entirely likely that Palpatine or Vader would sense the twins if they remained together. Nevertheless, Kenobi had reluctantly agreed with that decision. The Force, however, had other plans in mind. That was what he was thinking as he sat watching young Leia Skywalker in his sitting room near the Dune Sea. Of all the droids she could have showed up with, it had to be C-3PO and R2D2. The Force was not only prophetic, it also had an ironic sense of humor to boot.

The only thing more perplexing to him was why Artoo came. He claimed to be carrying a message for an Obi-Wan Kenobi—a desperate message from the only son of the House of Organa—the High Prince himself—Luke Organa. But none of these thoughts were on his mind right now. He was thinking of Padmé Naberrie and of her beloved husband, Anakin Skywalker. _How was he going to explain this mess to their children?_

"My mother never fought in the Wars," said Leia Skywalker matter-of-factly as she finished attaching Threepio's remaining arm back into place. "Uncle Owen said she was a navigator on a spice freighter." Kenobi smiled and shook his head.

"Owen believed that your mother should've stayed home and never gotten involved in the conflict. But you know better Leia." She gave him a look as she pushed her long brown hair back behind her face.

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" She asked almost innocently

"Yes, I was a Jedi Knight the same as your mother."

"I wish I had known her," then she added. "…and my father too."

"Your mother was the best star-pilot in the galaxy and a cunning war. She was a good friend." Kenobi's eyes twinkled as the memories flooded back to him. He looked at Leia and saw so much of Padmé in her. "I understand you have become quite a pilot yourself. I've heard about your exploits in Beggar's Canyon." The young woman looked at him, yearning to know more. Kenobi cleared his throat. "I knew both of your parents very well Leia. They were close to me."

"What did my father do?"

"He was the perennial gadfly of the Senate, Leia." Her eyes widened. "Your father, was Anakin Skywalker. He was one of the greatest senators of the Old Republic. He was a staunch ally of the Jedi Knights." Ben Kenobi paused, wondering how much he should reveal. Pieces of an older, more innocent time came flooding back to him.

* * *

 _Naboo, thirty years earlier._

Obi-Wan Kenobi ran alongside King Anakin Skywalker. They waited with troops—a mix of Gungans and Nubians as they prepared to breach the main throne room and the king's personal hangar.

"You ready?" He asked the fourteen-year-old boy king. The young man smiled at him.

"Ready as I'll ever be." A young girl's voice came from behind them.

"I'm in too." It was the former slave girl—Padmé Naberrie. She grinned as she bravely carried a small blaster. Kenobi wasn't at all certain she should have come on the mission. But, then again, nothing about this plan seemed right. Qui-Gon Jinn had insisted on taking on Darth Maul alone and they had gone off their separate ways. Kenobi had to protect his little sister and the King.

"Padmé…" He said, his voice not above a whisper. "Stay close to me.'

"Okay, Obi." He smiled at her innocence. Anakin Skywalker turned back to her and gave her a wink. She smiled back at him. Then all pretense of innocence and childhood faded away. They had a mission to do.

"On my count," said King Skywalker…his voice trembling a bit. "One, two…now!" They pulled the doors back and charged in as they confronted the battle droids. Kenobi swiftly ignited his blade and leapt into action taking down battle droids and Sith troopers alike. Padmé hung back behind the columns and fired at a few of the guards taking aim at her new friends. Suddenly, Anakin made his way next to her. They were both panting. The two of them were no more than children—children were not supposed to fight in wars—but these two were fighting for the fate of an entire planetary system. As the blaster fire echoed throughout the room, Anakin turned to face her.

"Padmé, you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Listen, I know you're a good pilot. Can you get to that Starfighter over there?"

"Me?"

"Yes…Artoo can navigate, but we need an extra pilot up there against them." He paused, knowing that he was trusting his fate once again to an innocent nine-year-old girl, but it felt like destiny. "Can you do that for me?" She smiled at him, giving him a hug.

"Yes."

"Go now! I'll cover you." Padmé quickly ran out and followed the few remaining pilots to the far end of the docking area as Anakin took down one trooper after another. Kenobi caught sight of her. He looked back and saw Anakin Skywalker's thoughts. Quickly, he sprung into action helping to clear a path for his young friend. Artoo was already in the main navigation area as Padmé put on an oversized helmet that clearly didn't fit her. She armed the main guns and closed her eyes. The Force was telling her exactly what to do. She fired a few more volleys, eliminating countless more troopers before the ship finally took off and blasted through the hangar and out into space.

Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled as he saw her dart out toward the gigantic control ship dominating Naboo's horizon. "May the Force be with you, my young friend."

* * *

 _The Present._

Kenobi's thoughts were brought back to the present. Leia Skywalker had asked another probing question.

"What happened after the Wars? If the Jedi were so powerful…where did they all go?" He sighed as he straightened up.

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the _Empire_ …" Leia could not hold back the question that Kenobi knew was really on her mind.

"How did my parents die?" He looked away, hoping that his answer would satisfy her.

"A young Jedi by the name of Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine before she turned to evil, helped hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. She betrayed and murdered your parents. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader…she was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force."

"The Force?" Leia asked, with a confused look in her eyes. Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled at her.

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." Leia Skywalker was impressed by his words, and looked away from him for a moment. Somehow, she knew all along that this Force existed. She never knew what the name of the Force was, but it had spoken to her at various points throughout her life. R2D2 started beeping. Kenobi stood next to him.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend. And where you come from." Leia spoke up.

"I saw part of the message he was carrying, but the rest of it was garbled…"

"I seem to have stumbled upon it…" said Kenobi as his eyes widened. The recorded hologram Artoo displayed was none other than that of Luke Organa himself. The Force had much greater plans than anyone could have foreseen.

 _"_ _General Kenobi,"_ The flickering image of Luke Organa said as he bowed. _"…years ago you served my adoptive father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in this our darkest hour. The Empire attacked a Rebel fleet that managed to capture a series of plans vital for the survival of the Rebel Alliance. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. What we need to win the day is in the memory systems of R2D2. My father will know how to retrieve the information. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."_ A little more static passed through and the transmission was cut short. Ben Kenobi leaned back, shutting his eyes deeply in though. Leia Skywalker didn't know what to say. The universe she knew seemed far bigger and far more dangerous than she had previously understood. Kenobi opened his eyes and looked directly at Leia.

"You must learn the ways of the Force if you're to come with me to Alderaan." It was amazing how one sentence, one holographic transmission, one desperate plea for salvation…could change the lives of so many people.


	12. Chapter 12

**This is dedicated to the memory of Carrie Fisher's mother and a great actress and entertainer in her own right-Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016). She died today (one day after her daughter). I hope they are together and happy in Heaven.**

 **So, here is another chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 _Detention Block AA 23. Aboard the Death Star._

It had all happened so fast. They had arrived on the Death Star. Then, Obi-Wan told her there was something he needed to do. It was something more than simply shutting down the tractor beam. There was something similar to his call, that impelled Leia Skywalker to save Luke Organa. No matter how reluctant that rogue Han Solo had been, she felt it was necessary to save this man. She quickly ran down the detention center's corridors as Han Solo shouted to her.

"Leia! Hurry up! I think we're going to have company." She made it to the blast door for Cell 2187. She opened it, and there, laying on the bare metallic bed was the High Prince himself. He gave her an odd look.

"Forgive me, but you seem a little short for a Stormtrooper." He smiled at her. She noticed what was wrong. Something about him struck her as familiar. They were connected somehow.

"Oh, the uniform!" She quickly removed her helmet and shook her long hair out for a second. It was a mess, but she didn't care. "I'm Leia Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you." His eyes widened. Clearly, he was not expecting any of this. Her last name seemed very familiar. Luke Organa had heard it from someplace. His adoptive father had told him to always remember that name…something about the senator who was responsible for laying the groundwork for the Rebel Alliance. He quickly pushed the thoughts aside as he asked the next logical question.

"You're who?" He asked. She breathed out exasperated. They had been through a lot already.

"I'm Leia Skywalker. I saw your message, I've brought R2 with me." The young prince who couldn't have been much older than her was beginning to understand. "Obi-Wan Kenobi's with me!"

"Where is he?"

"Come with me." She grabbed his hand and he followed her out to the alcove, before they stepped out further, Luke pulled her back.

"Who are you really? I feel like we've…" She finished his sentence for him.

"…we've met somewhere." There was something there. It wasn't the attraction she undeniably felt for Han Solo. It was something much deeper. "Your highness, we can figure things out later. Now we need to get you out of here."

"Right, lead the way." She smirked at him.

"I always do." No sooner had they gotten much further than they were met by Stormtrooper fire.

* * *

 _Level 6 Core Shaft Corridor._

Ben Kenobi quickly made his way back to the hallway after deactivating the tractor beam. He pulled out his weathered lightsaber. It had served him well for the better part of twenty-three years. It would serve him well one again for the confrontation he knew was coming. He stepped out and saw her in front of him. The hilt of her blade was in her hand, but not ignited just yet. She looked like a blackened machine, but she was definitely in there. Behind all the breathing apparatuses and electronics, she was there.

"You came back…" He raised his hood up.

"I did." He paused. Darth Vader moved closer to him. "I told you long ago, that I'd never leave you behind."

"You are late at keeping your promises. There were rumors you had died in exile."

"Largely overblown rumors Vader, of that I can assure you." Kenobi thought he felt her smile behind her mask, but he couldn't be sure.

"Pity…all that time safe and sound…only to come here and die by my hand." She paused as she ignited her blade. It was dark red. "I'm much stronger than the last time we met."

"We don't have to do this."

"Still with your same naivete, I see that you haven't all that much. You've only grown older."

"I still believe that there is something redeemable in you yet my old apprentice." She scoffed at him.

"Then you are a fool." He ignited his blade as she struck the first blow. He parried another one. They both moved much slower than they had done the last time. There was age and experience at play in this duel. "The circle is now complete Ben. When I left you, I was but the learner now I am the master." Kenobi gave her a wry smile.

"Only a master of evil Vader." He struck back hard and pushed her away from him, but she easily pushed him back and barely missed striking him.

"You should not have come back."

* * *

 _Across from Docking Bay 397._

Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie made it to a hallway right across from the _Millennium Falcon._

"The ship's look's okay," said Leia. Han Solo winked at her.

"Let's hope Kenobi got that tractor beam out of commission." Luke Organa spoke up.

"Where is he anyway?"

"I don't know," said Leia with a worried look on her face. Suddenly, they saw the Stormtroopers guarding the ship move away quickly. Solo spoke up.

"Let's make our move now!" They ran out. That's when Leia Skywalker caught sight of Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader furiously dueling each other.

"Ben!" She gasped. The two men continued fighting, not noticing her.

* * *

"You can't win. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine," said Kenobi. He was almost taunting her. They exchanged blows again, but were still evenly matched. No one was going to get the upper hand in this fight. Then they both heard a voice calling out to them.

"Ben!" It was the farmgirl that Kenobi had brought with him. Vader could also see Prince Organa close by her. She almost did a double-take. They reminded her of herself and of someone close to her. Before she could contemplate their identities any further, Kenobi struck her again and gave her a sneaky smile. _How often had she seen that face before?_ Suddenly, Kenobi stopped pressing his attack and closed his eyes. He raised his ignited blade for a salute and stood perfectly still. Vader didn't understand it. _Why wasn't her master fighting?_

She wasted no time and lunged for the killer blow. To her shock and amazement, she cut through his robe but his body disappeared completely. The lightsaber he had used on so many occasions dropped harmlessly to the floor. _Where in the name of the Force did Kenobi go? What had he said to her…"I will become more powerful than you can possible imagine."_ Suddenly, there was shouting. Almost like someone was crying out. He turned and saw the girl with long brown hair screaming at him.

"NO!" She raised her blaster and fired widely. _Who was she to be so reckless with her own life? It reminded Vader of herself. It was much like herself. She saw the High Prince grabbing her, almost as if he was a voice of reason._

"Blast the door kid!" Came another voice. Then an explosion, and before Vader knew it she was stuck behind the blast doors. She could hear the sound of the engines of the _Millennium Falcon_ as it blasted out into space. She was still confused by what happened in the last five minutes. The Force was strong in those twins. She felt it. Then it occurred to her, Luke Organa had no siblings. So how could he have a twin? _It can't be. It's impossible, they are dead. Anakin's dead. I killed them all!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for my absence, vacation and work come in the way. This is all I've got so far. I wanted to speed things up a bit both in the past (flashbacks) and with some action in the present. Let me know what you think and nay suggestions you might have for me.**

 **Enjoy**

 **Chapter 13**

 _The distant past. Before the First Battle of Geonosis. Naboo. The Lake Country._

She looked around behind them as they disembarked from the boat. She helped Senator Skywalker out and they proceeded to walk up the grounds of the state.

"It's funny," he said. Padmé Naberrie smiled at her friend as they gazed out at the turquoise waters and bays that surrounded the Skywalker Estate.

"What is it?"

"When I was growing up we used to come out here for school retreats. That island out there," he pointed out in the distance. "…It was my favorite place to swim to as a boy."

"Truthfully Anakin," she paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "I never knew what it was like to grow up in a place like this. All we had back home was the desert, the Tusken Raiders and the Moisture farmers…" She paused again. "…the Hutts." Anakin noticed her staring into his eyes. He was tired of hiding how he truly felt about her. Padmé grabbed his hand in hers. He smiled.

"There was a very old man who lived out there. He would tell us stories of the Jedi and of wars fought between the Republic and the Sith Empire."

"Really?" She asked him. What did he tell you Anakin?"

"He told me about the Sith Lords. The story of Exar Kun and Darth Malgus among others." Padmé was enraptured by his tale even though she knew the legendary exploits of these old warriors. Anakin thought back fondly. "I guess all those stories made me get involved in politics in the first place. I wanted to stop those kinds of war from destroying people's lives. Not much good it's done us right now, I'm afraid." Padmé Naberrie moved closer to him.

"I think you sell yourself short." She said it pointedly. Something came over her then, something she couldn't stop. Without saying anything else, she pushed forward and kissed him softly on the mouth. She pulled back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you should've" He smiled. They kissed again and held each other closely.

* * *

 _The Present. Three years after the destruction of the Death Star. Cloud City. Bespin. Carbon Freezing Champter._

Leia Skywalker put her blaster away. She could hear the Dark Lady's breathing not far away from her.

"So finally, you've finally come Leia." It was the voice of Darth Vader. She stood not the far away, clouds of billowing gas slightly obscuring her.

"I have." Said Leia trying not to show any fear before the woman who was her enemy.

"We do not need to be enemies…girl."

"I think it's a little too late for that Vader." Underneath her mask, Vader smiled.

"Your smuggler friend is long gone…and I doubt the High Prince will get much farther."

"You'd be surprised." Leia added. They stood there, sizing each other up for a moment. Finally, Vader spoke up again from the mists.

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet." It was a taunt, an unmistakable taunt. Leia took the bait and climbed up the catwalk to face the woman responsible for killing her parents. She ignited her mother's blue blade. It took Vader aback for a moment. She then ignited her red blade, raising it up for a moment. Then, they clashed blades. Leia jumped over her enemy and swung hard but Vader was too quick for her.

"You are impressive young one. But you do not stand a chance against me."

"We'll see about that." She swung back and then parried as Vader lunged forward breaking a nearby column in half. They seemed to be evenly matched, or was the Dark Lady toying with her? She would find out soon enough.

* * *

 _Moments later, a long stretch of catwalk above a series of deep cavernous terminals._

She was panting as Vader pressed her attack, throwing her down to the ground hard.

"Stop resisting me Leia. Look at yourself," Vader said. Leia saw her bruised and bleeding body…her flight suit was a mess. "Don't be a fool. This isn't a fight you can win…you weren't meant to win it." Leia Skywalker clenched her teeth and managed to swing back and rise to her feet. She lunged hard, striking the Dark Lady's shoulder.

"You should not have done that girl!" Vader pushed her back and they clashed sabers again. Only this time, Leia Skywalker felt her blade fall from her hands, along with her right hand, as Vader cleanly hacked it off. She tried hard not to scream but couldn't help. "There's no escape." She pleaded with the girl. "Don't make me destroy you." She extinguished her blade.

"Get away from me Vader!" The Dark Lady extended her hand further as if she was begging the frightened would-be Jedi.

"Leia, you are so important…" She paused, then a part of her that she didn't realize still existed came out. " _You are important to me._ " Leia wouldn't hear any of it. She shouted back.

"Shut up! Get out of my head!" Skywalker walked further away from Vader.

"Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy." Skywalker gave Vader a menacing glare.

"I'll never join you."

"You don't know anything about the power of the Dark Side." Vader paused choosing her worlds carefully. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your mother." Leia's eyes grew wide and furious.

"He told me enough." She paused. "He told me you killed her and my father." Vader was not entirely surprised by the story Kenobi had fed the girl. Nevertheless, she would disabuse her of any false notions.

"No, Leia, I am your mother." Leia Skywalker felt tears stinging her eyes. She looked away from Vader.

"You can't be. That's impossible." She paused. "I don't believe you."

"Search your feelings my daughter." Vader took a deep breath. "You know it is true." Leia closed her eyes wishing the truth to be something other than what it was.

"NO!" She screamed out. Vader moved closer to her daughter.

"I loved your father deeply and Kenobi was like a brother to me…" Leia couldn't deal with this.

"Why? How could you? That means you killed them both!"

"No…I was saving everybody. Can't you see that?" Leia Skywalker could only look away as her mother spoke. "I want to give you the chance that your father could have had. The Emperor knows you are powerful, it is your destiny to destroy him. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as mother and daughter." Leia gave a sneaky sort of grin to her mother and then leapt off the catwalk to the abyss below.


	14. Chapter 14

**So I'm finally entering into _Return of the Jedi_ territory. No worries, there will be more flashbacks. But I am finally addressing a question that's been on quite a few of your minds. I think you'll like and appreciate the answer. As usual, enjoy and please leave a review.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 _A Year Later. Dagobah._

Leia Skywalker had been hardened. She had rescued the man she loved from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. The reunion was bittersweet to say the least. Now she returned to complete her training with the master she had left behind on a swamp world, only to find that the 900-year-old Jedi Master was dying. The last words he spoke to her before confirming her true parentage echoed through her mind. _There is another Skywalker._

Who was it? Who could it be. She brushed it off as she made her way back to her X-Wing. The mists were overbearing, but she saw Artoo hard at work.

"I don't know Artoo." The droid responded with some beeps. "I can't do it alone." Then a disembodied voice took shape in her mind.

 _"_ _Yoda will always be with you Leia. Just as I am."_ She turned to face her old master who came walking through the trees.

"Obi-Wan." She pushed passed her Starfighter and closer to the ghost of her master. "Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my parents." He sighed.

 _"_ _Your mother was one of the best Jedi Knights in the Order. But she was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. She ceased to be Padmé Amidala Naberrie and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good woman who was your mother was destroyed…with fatal consequences for the galaxy I'm afraid."_ He paused, then added, _"So what I have told you was true, from a certain point of view."_

"A certain point of view!"

 _"_ _Leia, I didn't meant for it to be a lie. You are going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."_ He studied her for a moment and sat next to her. _"Look at me, please."_ She did so, albeit reluctantly at first. She saw deep sadness and love mixed in his eyes. _"Your mother was a good friend. She was more than that actually. My little sister."_

"When did you meet her?" Asked Leia with increased interest. Kenobi smiled.

 _"_ _I first met your mother when she was nine years old. She was already a great pilot and had a technical mind that was astounding. I was amazed by how strongly the Force was with her."_

"So you trained her?"

 _"_ _I did."_ He paused again. _"We were the best of friends for almost fifteen years."_

"And my father?" Kenobi winced.

 _"_ _Anakin Skywalker was quite possibly the bravest senator of them all save for his close friend and ally Bail Organa of Alderaan."_ The name struck her.

"My father was friends with the High Prince of Alderaan?"

 _"_ _Yes…they desperately fought to preserve democracy but to no avail…"_ Leia nodded her head as Kenobi continued his narrative. _"The two of them were perfect for each other. The greatest senator married to the bravest general of the Clone Wars. For a time, that was enough for her. Then came her fears…"_

"What fears?"

 _"_ _Your mother always had prophetic dreams, much like you Leia. She saw death in them. She dreamed that her husband would die by the hand of some unknown assailant and that her child would be killed as well. It was this fear that ultimately drove her over the edge and into Palpatine's grip."_

"She did it for us?"

 _"_ _In a way she did, or that's what she thought she was doing."_ He paused there. _"Your father and I went to save her. It was too late. In her anger, she managed to fulfill her dreams there."_ Leia Skywalker's mouth was open.

"So my father is dead?" Kenobi closed his eyes.

 _"_ _It's not as simple as that Leia. He lost a lot of blood, the wound he had was getting infected. No one knew what to do. It was only a matter of time…we were all afraid of the Emperor and his minions…certain decisions had to be made…"_

"What did you do?"

 _"_ _We evacuated Polis Massa and froze your wounded father in carbonite. After a few years passed, we were able to treat his wounds and he insisted…against my advice…in joining the Rebel spy network."_ Leia's eyes widened.

"My father's alive?" Ben nodded his head affirmatively. Leia turned away shaken by this revelation. Then another thought, one that seemed naïve but equally true occurred to her. "There's still good in my mother." Kenobi's head fell down a bit as he spoke in measured tones.

 _"_ _I also thought she could be turned back. I don't think it can be done. She's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil."_

"I can't do it, Ben."

" _You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again."_

"I can't kill my own mother." He shrugged his shoulders as he replied."

 _"_ _Then the Emperor has already won. You were are only hope."_

"Yoda spoke of another."

 _"_ _The other he spoke of is your twin brother."_ Leia Skywalker was shocked by this.

"But I don't have a brother."

 _"_ _Hmm. To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your mother when you were born. The Emperor knew, as I did, if Padmé_ _were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your brother remains safely anonymous."_ She realized then why, not so long ago, a familiar image came to her mind. It was aboard the Death Star. The way the High Prince looked at her. How could she not have seen it? It was all so perfectly clear to her now.

"Luke! Luke's my brother."

 _"_ _Your insight serves you well. Bury your feelings deep down, Leia. They do you credit._

 _But they could be made to serve the Emperor."_ She nodded her head in agreement still trying to comprehend the fact that her long-deceased father was dead and that she had a twin brother who was one of her best friends.

"Do you know where my father is now?" Kenobi looked away. "Ben, you have to tell me…I need to find him."

 _"_ _To be a Jedi, Leia, you must confront and then go beyond the Dark Side—the side your mother couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door—for you, like your mother. In time, you will be reunited with your father. Of that I have little doubt. But first, you must speak with your brother. I have a feeling that he has much more knowledge about his true heritage than he lets on…and both of you will play an important role in the events that come ahead."_ He paused. _"May the Force be with you."_ With that said, he bowed down and disappeared from her sight. Leia Skywalker had much to think about now. How could she break all this to her brother? Where was their father? The most important question remained unanswered—was there any hope for the blackened soul of her mother?


	15. Chapter 15

**Two chapters in one sitting. I felt inspired and I wanted to do some more writing. This needs no introduction. Read, review, and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 _Endor. Night. The Ewok Village._

"Leia…where are you?" He had been looking for his friend sine Threepio had finished telling their entire story to the villagers successfully winning them over to their cause. She was nowhere to be found amidst the celebrating rebels and dancing Ewoks.

"I'm here Luke." She turned to face him. She was dressed in black, and he in his relaxed set of fatigues.

"You left so suddenly, Han and I wanted to talk strategy and…" he paused, "Since you are a Jedi, we thought you might have some good ideas." She smiled uncomfortably as she looked into her twin brother's eyes. Why hadn't she noticed it before? Perhaps they both knew it all along and couldn't adequately describe it.

"Things are more complex than you realize Luke." He stood next to her and gently rubbed her shoulders. There was no attraction on his part. He knew where Han and Leia stood, he would never come between them. But there was something else stopping him. "Do you remember anything about your father…your real father?" The questioned shocked the High Prince.

"Just a little bit…Bail...told me he died when I was very young."

"What do you remember?"

"It was so long ago…it's just images and feelings…"

"Try to remember…please…it's important." He shut his eyes as a mix of emotions overtook him. _Why is she asking me this?_ He saw a powerful man with an adoring crowd around him. He was giving a speech. Then another image, the same man from before…with a blaster in his hand his back up against a woman wielding a deep blue lightsaber. Another scene flashed by him, the two were kissing under a tree out by a lake full of water. Then the image of the man, alone and in pain…crying uncontrollably…was it over the death of his beloved? Or was there something ore at work?

"He was kind…dignified but sad. Why are you asking me this Leia?" Luke Organa had no idea how lucky he was. He remembered so much. While she had been deprived of all these memories even though they were few. She could barely keep her eyes focused on Luke's face.

"I have no memory of my father. I never knew him."

"Leia, what's wrong?"

"Vader's here…now…on this moon."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I can feel her presence." She paused for a moment, looking up at the night sky. "She's come for me. She can feel when I'm near. That's why I have to go."

"Leia, you aren't making any sense."

"Just hear me out Luke…please…"

"Okay…" He said as he saw her closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "You can trust me with anything, Leia, you know that." Leia nodded her head.

"As long as I stay here, I'm endangering the group and our mission here. I have to face her."

"Why?" Luke asked, almost pleading with her to let go of this seemingly insane course of action. She fingered nervously the hilt of her blade.

"She's my mother, Luke." His eyes widened. It explained so many things now. Why Han and Luke were used as bait. Vader didn't want Leia in order to kill her. He wanted her in order to reunite a family.

"Your mother…" He said almost listlessly.

"There's more but I think you knew some of this story too. Don't you?" He took a step back avoiding her gaze. Part of him could feel ancient voices stirring through his mind. They had always been there. He heard them in his dreams. Now they were shouting, echoing across his mind…as if they had been dormant and now had woken up from some long-induced sleep. "If I don't make it back Luke, you are the only hope for the Alliance."

"Don't talk that way. You have a power I don't understand and could never have."

"You are wrong." She paused looking deeply into his eyes. "You have that power too. In time, you will learn to use it as a I have." _Now was the moment of truth. How to speak with him._ "The Force runs strong in my family. My mother has it, I have it, and my _brother_ has it." Luke felt tears stinging his eyes as he leaned in close to her forehead. "Yes, it's you Luke." He was silent. He saw know that she was shedding tears as well. He embraced her tightly.

"I know…somehow I've always know."

"You knew on the Death Star when I said who I was…" He smiled as they refused to let go of each other.

"I did." Suddenly, he felt an emptiness inside. He understood what his memories had been. "By the Force…Vader…she's… _our mother…_ "

"I know…"

"How? Bail…my adopted father told me that Anakin fell in love with the greatest general of the Clone Wars…how can that be her?" Then another realization hit him. The gravity of what Leia Skywalker was proposing to do hit him squarely in the chest. "Padmé Naberrie's dead. How can she be that monster who tortured me? She tortured her own son? She cut your hand off? If it's really her in there, why would she do that? Why?" Leia held on to Luke as she spoke.

"I know that it's hard to accept, but I saw the visions you had. You know that Anakin fell for her…and then she fell down deep off the edge...but I feel good in her Luke." The revelations were hitting him like a ton of bricks. Whatever he had been holding back over the years spilled out of him now that he knew that he had a sister. He was no longer alone. "We were all horribly lied to Luke…by people who had our best interests and by those who had their own interests…"

"What are you saying?"

"You know where he is don't you?"

"Who?"

"Our father…Anakin Skywalker…he's alive."

"Leia…" She smiled at him.

"Whatever Bail Organa told you to keep secret will go to the grave with him and the rest of Alderaan…but let their sacrifice not be in vain. Now that you know about me and our mother…if he told you the truth…you need to tell me." Luke Organa looked away. How could he relive this piece of history. His sister decided to take a bold move. " _Luke Naberrie Skywalker_ …you have to tell me what you know." She commanded him with an honor and a dignity of someone much older. He turned around and leaned against his sister for support.

"Bail told me to go find Kenobi. He told me never to let Vader know who my father was. When I was 15, he told me that my father wasn't dead. But he wouldn't say anything more until the last day I saw him alive. He told me never to reveal the location of our base on Yavin IV and never to compromise one of our top spies in the Senate."

"It was _him_ wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where is?" Luke nodded his head.

"He's part of the reason the Bothans got those plans to the Rebellion." She moved closer to her brother.

"You've never met him?"

"Afraid not…only knew about him by name…"

"Is he still on Coruscant?"

"I don't think so. Rumor has it that our best spies are either on world or even aboard the Second Death Star. He could be anywhere."

"That still leaves our mother…"

"Why must you confront her?"

"I have to try to bring her back to the good side Luke." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, their hands held tightly to each other until she finally walked away.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 _Endor_. _Death Star Shield Generator._

Her hands were bound in front of her as she stared at her mother's masked face. They were alone at last. A day of reckoning had arrived.

"The Emperor has been expecting you…" Said Vader.

"I know…mother."

"So you've accepted the truth?"

"I've accepted the truth that you were once Padmé Naberrie…my mother." Vader stopped dead in her tracks.

"That name doesn't mean anything to me anymore…" Leia faced her mother.

"I don't believe you." She paused. "It's the name of your true self, you've only forgotten. You could've killed me but you didn't. If some part of Padmé Naberrie weren't in you why would you care about me?" Vader turned away from her daughter, lost in thought.

"You remind me so much of your father…that is how he would have reasoned as well."

"I know what happened on Mustafar."

"Who told you Leia?"

"Obi-Wan." Vader shook her head. She turned to face her daughter.

"I hear you managed to free Captain Solo. Your infatuation with that man is..."

"…is no different than a senator falling in love with a former slave." Leia interrupted her with the airs of someone who would brook no compromise.

"What do you want from me?" Vader asked her daughter.

"Answers. You owe me that." Vader leaned against the rail and released her daughter's bonds which fell to the ground. Vader stared at her daughter's artificial hand and moved to touch it gently.

"I never wanted to take your hand. I never wanted any of this."

"You had people who trusted you, who had your back. How could you let your 'master' twist you like this…" Padmé Naberrie looked at her daughter's determined eyes. She uttered a simple request to Leia.

"Come with me."

 _The distant past. Chancellor Palpatine's quarters._

"You sent for me?" Padmé Naberrie pushed her hair back as she dutifully stood before Palpatine.

"I did. I'm afraid we have much to talk about."

"I agree Chancellor." He gazed at her suspiciously but decided to continue with his train of thought.

"I've decided to name you as my personal representative on the Jedi Council." Padmé was taken aback by the request.

"Chancellor…this flies in the face of everything…I am not worthy…"

"Please Padmé….the formality is unnecessary."

"On the contrary," her voice was made of steel now as she spoke. "You have much to answer for."

"Oh?"

"Why are you following my husband?"

"I don't follow you…Jedi aren't married…" She moved closer to him as she spoke.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"No."

"Then let's speak plainly then, shall we?" He nodded his head as he sat back down behind his desk. "Why are you following my husband?"

"Senator Skywalker is under suspicion for his Separatist leanings."

"He has no such leanings Chancellor. I am familiar with the group he represents." Padmé Naberrie paused as she spoke now in measured tones. "Their concerns about your power are shared by me."

"I see." He said with a stony look on his face.

"You and your agents have no business following the Senator from Naboo."

"What if I told you that I feared for his life?" This caught Padmé's attention.

"No one would dare try to assassinate him. He is too important now…besides…he is a humanitarian…Separatists and Republican Loyalists alike admire him."

"Things are never that simple Padmé. He has made many enemies, and I am certainly not one who is foremost on that list." The young Jedi Knight moved toward the window overlooking the city below them. "I can protect him. You are afraid he will die…I can save him."

 _The Present_.

"You knew he was lying?" Leia Skywalker asked as she sat with her mother in her hyperbaric chamber.

"Of course, I think at that moment I knew exactly who he was."

"So why not stop him then?"

"Matters of the heart can blind us to our reality. You should know that better than anyone." Leia sighed and turned away. "I believed his lies Leia." She spoke as she loosened her helmet with a snap hiss.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't this what you wanted to see?" Leia Skywalker turned around and gazed at the scarred face of her mother. Her hair had begun to grow back.

"By the Force…Ben told me…but…"

"Seeing it is different."

"Mom…" She uttered without even thinking it. Hearing those words and the familiarity they implied shattered her senses. Whatever Palpatine was expecting her to do was going to be much harder.

"I loved you so much…I told Ani that you were a girl. He didn't believe me." Leia made sure to shield the reality of Luke's parentage from her thoughts.

"If you loved us so much, why did you follow Palpatine?"

"I thought I could overthrow him…that your father would be safe…and then we would rule together."

"He never wanted that, he believed in democracy…like I do." Padmé…Vader paused as she breathed in deeply of the oxygen rich air in the room.

"He didn't understand…" They heard a rustling of boots behind them. An older man's voice spoke to them.

"I understood perfectly what you wanted to do Pad…" It was the voice of Anakin Skywalker.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

A man dressed in stormtrooper armor stepped out of the shadows. He removed his helmet and revealed a grizzled face. There were many wrinkles, some healed scars, but it was also familiar…full of love.

"Ani…" The words barely escaped her lips. "You…you're alive?"

"I am." Leia's eyes widened.

"Father?"

"Yes." He moved toward Leia and kissed her forehead gently. Then he faced his wife. "What have they done to you?" He paused, shutting his eyes. "What has _he_ done to you Padmé?" He moved closer to her but she backed away.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness or your love." She paused. "I almost killed you."

"If you wish to set things right you will do so now…"

"How?" He moved closer and cupped her scarred cheek with his hand. She leaned in gently.

"Don't turn our daughter over to the Emperor. You know what he will do with her." She threw her helmet down to the side.

"It's not that easy Ani…"

"It is." Then the older man did something that surprised Leia. He leaned in and kiss his wife's lips softly. She closed her eyes and held him close. Then they parted never taking their eyes off of each other.

"Father's right…you have to help us." Said Leia.

"No, I have to help you." She gave her daughter her lightsaber back.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to confront Palpatine." Anakin's eyes widened in fear.

"Are you crazy? I am not going to lose you again…not after all this."

"Ani…you've been spying on the Empire for years…you know what he has planned for the Rebel fleet don't you?" He nodded his head.

"No doubt you've already warned them." Anakin Skywalker said nothing to that comment. "Palpatine will be distracted…enough for me to run him through with my own blade or die trying."

"Mom…you can come with us."

"It's too late for me Leia. But you, your father…" She paused. "And your brother…you can make a life for yourself…one that's freed from the dark choices I've made." She opened the doors and gestured for Leia and her father to leave.

"Mom…" Leia said as she walked toward the door. "The Force will be with you, always."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 _"_ _You're on the precipice. You don't have to fall over it."_

Obi-Wan Kenobi's words from the fiery hills of Mustafar echoed through her mind as slowly made her way up the turbo lift—to face her ultimate destiny. Her former master had no idea what he was in for as the doors to the lift opened.

"Guards. Leave us," came the commanding voice of Palpatine as he turned to face his apprentice. "Where is young Skywalker?"

"She escaped." There was an uncomfortable pause between the two of them now. They were sizing each other up. Palpatine was no fool, he knew that Vader was lying to him.

"Lady Vader…it appears that your feelings were not as clear as I had thought." Her eyes narrowed.

"On the contrary, they are clearer than they've ever been before." He shut his eyes tightly.

"You don't have enough strength left to defeat me Vader."

"Perhaps," she paused. "Perhaps…Darth Vader isn't strong enough to defeat you." She threw her helmet down to the side. "But Padmé Skywalker is another matter entirely, my Lord." She ignited her blade. Palpatine noticed that it was not the red saber, it was her old blue light saber.

"You've failed your highness. For I am a Jedi as the Force intended me to be." She raised her blade up defensively. He smirked for a second then spoke.

"So be it, Jedi!" Then the two figures lunged at each other.

* * *

 _Hours later. The Forest Moon of Endor._

After the introductions, Luke, Leia, and their father had helped he rest of the team destroy the base. They stood looking up at the sky as the Death Star exploded. Anakin Skywalker turned his face away, there might have been a tear trickling down his face but if there was, his children couldn't tell. Han Solo made it next to Leia and she smiled at him.

"You all right?" He asked her.

"I think so." She replied. Han spoke up again eying Luke Organa warily.

"Can I speak to you alone for a moment?"

"Sure." They moved away toward a clearing where some Ewoks were gathered.

"You love him, don't you?" Han asked motioning to Luke. Leia smiles, seemingly puzzled.

"Yes."

"All right. I understand. Fine. I won't get in the way." She realizes his misunderstanding and moves closer to him.

"Han, it's not like that at all. He's my brother." Han smiled as the two of them kissed. Anakin saw the two of them and exchanged a glance with his son.

"She's definitely her mother's daughter." Luke smiled. Then he grew more seriously.

"Father, I didn't feel mother's death when the Death Star blew. What does that mean?"

"I don't know son, I don't know…" He remained staring up at the skies above them as Han and Leia moved down to meet with them again. Anakin Skywalker, the former Senator of Naboo, husband to a Jedi Knight, began to smile again as he was introduced to his daughter's fiancé. Nevertheless, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but ponder over his son's unanswered question: _Could Padmé be alive?_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 _The opposite side of the Ewok encampment. A clearing near an old riverbed._

A lone, battered, Imperial shutter slowly lands in the distance. The ramp descends, and a slightly bruised figure wearing black armor slowly makes her way out of the shuttle's hold. Padmé Skywalker wiped some dried blood from her face as she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She felt a familiar presence in front of her. It was Anakin.

"How did you know…" He smiled at her.

"Your son pointed me in the right direction."

"The Force is strong in both of them Ani." He grabbed her hand in his and they slowly made their way toward a row of trees. There were celebratory fires in the distance.

"Like old times, right?" She smiled at her husband. He looked seriously at her as they sat next to a group of rocks. "You should join us, there's a warm fire. The kids would love to see you."

"I don't think so."

"What…"

"I can't."

"Why?" He held her hands in his as he looked at her pleading with his eyes, hoping she would listen to reason.

"I have much to atone for…I am not Vader. That much I'm sure about. But I am not who I once was."

"Of course you are." She caressed his face gently.

"The kids…they have your optimism. I still love that." There were tears in her eyes as she stood up. "I only came here to make sure you were all safe. I won't stay much longer."

"Where will you go?" He asked her.

"I guess back to the start." She paused and gave him one of her old smirks. "I'm sure you'll know where to find me if you need me."

"Let me come with you Pad."

"No dear." She paused again to take a breath. "I will always love you. You are my husband…that will never change. But this is something I must do on my own." As she turned back to her shuttle, she said in passing. "Take care of our children. Your place now is to rebuild what has been lost." He grabbed her hand and kissed her lips deeply. She did not pull away. They held each other close one more time, and then she boarded the shuttle and blasted out of the atmosphere. Anakin Skywalker stood there alone with his thoughts. He could hear his children's laughter as they came by him.

"Dad," said Leia. "Everything ok?" He smiled.

"Yeah, everything's just fine now." He glanced back up to the skies one more time before rejoining with him family in celebration.


End file.
